FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON A SAFARI
If this is your first time on safari or in Tanzania, you probably have lots of questions. To get you started we have collected a list of frequently asked questions
Our 4 wheel drive safari vehicles offer a comfortable place for six people in the rear, and in front, you have your guide. So we can take up to 6 people on a safari. If your group has more people we will schedule additional vehicles.
You don’t need to be smartly dressed on safari. The most important thing is to be comfortably and practically dressed. Safari colors – green, khaki, brown or grey are really useful because white, red and other bright colors might scare away the wildlife! Some ladies may want to consider packing a sports bra as the roads are bumpy. Open sandals or other comfortable shoes may be useful to wear in the car when it is hot.
Please bring some warm clothes! It gets really cold in some places because of the high altitude, especially in June, July, and August. Of course, it can also get very hot! It is probably best if you dress in layers, that way you won’t be chilly in the morning, and as the day gets hotter, you can just take off your layers and stay cool in the lighter clothes you’re wearing beneath.
Be sure to bring special and personal prescriptions and medications. Please let us know of medical conditions that may require special attention to safari. Malaria is not to be taken lightly. All travelers should visit either their personal physician or a travel health clinic about 3 months before departure. Ask your doctor about vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis. Bring mosquito repellent (also good for Teztze flies). We recommend Deet. Also make sure you have jabs for Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Polio, and Yellow Fever before you come.
240 volts is the voltage in Tanzania and you will need a UK plug. You can buy a converter plug that will make your appliance fit locally.
No, if you go on a private safari with Enticing journeys, you won’t have to share the car with anyone. You and your partner/friends/family will have your own vehicle and driver-guide. This allows you to explore at your own pace rather than being tied in with a group schedule. It is not advisable to travel after dark, and the national park regulations need to be adhered to. But if you want to stop and look at the giraffe for half an hour, or you decide you’ve had enough for the day and want to go back to the lodge and rest, you can do so. But if you opt for joining a group you will share with other guests.
When it comes to accommodation, we are picky or rather, selective. Accommodation is an important element of your safari. Being comfortable and relaxed enables you to have enjoy your experience because you are rested and well taken care of by our company. We carefully select the lodges and camps for our safaris according to high-quality standards, and you can mix and match as you like.
Although many of these lodges and camps are located in the middle of nowhere, they offer all the bush comforts you need, like comfortable beds with clean linens and warm blankets if the nights get chilly. You will certainly be able to have a hot shower and you will have a private bathroom. Toilets differ from place to place, some are flush toilets like you would have at home.
High-end tented camps are exclusive – located in pristine areas, with excellent food and service and great attention to detail. Tented camps are not always permanent structures, they can move from one to the next location, depending on seasons, always following the migration, so you are likely to be in the midst of where the wildlife action is! Spacious, beautifully furnished tents with en-suite bathrooms and very comfortable beds with amazing thread count this is not camping, it is luxury. Privacy and atmosphere in tented camps are excellent, and they are usually minimal no more than a dozen guests on average. And last but not least, it is not only the service and style that make for an exceptional experience, the environmental impact of a tented mobile camp is minimal, and not nearly as lasting or damaging as the impact of a permanent structure. Tented camps are an excellent option for this type of tourism as it is far more sustainable in terms of environmental impact.
As for lodges – the best possible safari experience is guaranteed if you are staying in small, exclusive places with a personal touch and an intimate atmosphere. We try to avoid the more anonymous, big chains of lodges. A lodge is like a small, boutique hotel with a touch of safari or a touch of Africa. Sometimes, an old farmhouse may have been converted into a lodge, for example.
For a good safari, you need several ingredients. A really good guide, a reliable vehicle, good accommodation, and a well-planned itinerary are probably the most important elements.
A good guide is the most crucial person on your safari. The enticing journey has a good blend of guides with great experience, and therefore we really know what skills a good guide should have! Our guides have no less than ten years of experience, they speak fluent English and they know the national parks and roads like their own shirt pocket. Your guide will make sure you travel safely and in good time without getting lost. He will also make your experience more profound by sharing his knowledge about the wildlife and culture.
Our vehicles are comfortable and well maintained. Good suspension, all the necessary equipment – these cars will get you through muddy patches and over rough roads. Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere because your car has broken down is very annoying, and therefore a good car is key. Our vehicles have a safari roof which is a hatch in the roof, which can be opened for better viewing and better photographic opportunities.
We will take the time to get to know you and design a tailor-made itinerary for you. We try to make sure that you get exactly the safari you want, and we take the time to answer your questions. Rather than imposing our ideas, we work together with you. The most important thing is for you to be able to make an informed decision. So how does this process work?
You may already have a rough idea of the places in Tanzania that you really want to see. Or perhaps you are not entirely sure yet. Just send us an email and let us know your initial starting ideas. Depending on your needs, we will then start by suggesting destinations that you could visit, or if you have already chosen destinations, we may advise you on how to best combine them.
We try to pay attention to the price range you choose and we try to build an itinerary around your preferences and interests. An individual itinerary is certainly preferable to be tied in with a group schedule, and it also allows for a certain amount of spontaneity and flexibility.
Have you ever considered what would happen if you were to break your leg in the middle of nowhere? We have. It would be a difficult situation. That is why we choose to ensure all of our guests with a Flying Doctors service called AMREF, the most effective medical emergency response available in Tanzania. This service is NOT to replace any medical scheme you already have but to act as an immediate response to medical emergencies in Tanzania. There is a gap that insurances and even international evacuation companies don’t always cover – transport from the scene of an accident to a hospital of international standards. With AMREF insurance, a patient is stabilized and transported by the swiftest and efficient means to the regional center of medical excellence, using a medically equipped plane or vehicle. The cost of this insurance is a price worth paying and we include this insurance for every person going on safari with us.
The cost of a tourist visa is US$50 per person and US$100 for American citizens, to be paid in cash. We recommend buying the visa upon arrival at the airport in Tanzania. It is very easy to buy the visa upon arrival, and it is not necessary to arrange everything beforehand. Buying a visa upon arrival does not take much time at all. Forms can be obtained at the airplane/airport/border upon arrival. All you need to do is fill out the form and pay the fee, and you will get a visa stamped in your passport. Please make sure you have all the necessary jabs. A Yellow Fever jab, for example, is one legal requirement for being allowed to enter the country. It is not necessary to bring any pictures to get your visa, but please be aware that your passport has to be valid for another 6 months after departing from Tanzania. Citizens of some countries may have to get a visa prior to departure. Make sure you check with your country’s authorities in advance.
We can’t guarantee that you will see the migration. We do have a very profound knowledge of which area you should visit at which time of year in order to maximize your chances. However, weather patterns (which influence wildlife movements) are unpredictable, especially with the ongoing climate change. Tanzania has had some completely atypical rain patterns for example, and that can have an impact on wildlife movements. We do our utmost to ensure you have the best game viewing, but in the end, you need a bit of luck. The animals in national parks are wild, and there are no boundaries to restrict their movement. You may or may not see a leopard, or a cheetah, or the wildebeest. Your guide will certainly make a huge effort to provide you with excellent animal sightings, but there is never a guarantee.
Just about every lodge or camp provides mosquito nets in their rooms. Usually, a room attendant will prepare the bed (while you are having dinner) by folding down the mosquito net and spraying insect repellent. If you are worried about the mosquitoes in your room, you can always try and ask for insect spray.
Enticing journeys can indeed help you to plan a family safari. We have a lot of experience when it comes to family safaris because our activities make a safari much more family-friendly. Energetic teenagers or active children will probably enjoy their safari a lot more if they can get out of the car once in a while to go on a walking safari. We will design a private itinerary for you, and depending on the size of your family, we will ensure you have enough vehicles so that space is not cramped, and enough guides to ensure individual care and attention.
Generally speaking, a dietary restriction does not prevent you from going on safari. Please make sure that you inform us as early as possible! If your children prefer to eat pasta and tomato sauce for lunch, or if they want their dinner at 7 so they can go to bed early, let us know about it and we can try to accommodate these needs. Your guide will be with you throughout the entire safari and he can also assist you by speaking to the kitchen management, should this be necessary. If you are allergic to wheat, or dairy products, we will do our best to make arrangements with all the lodges or camps that you will be staying at. However, you need to understand that the logistics of running a lodge or camp in the middle of nowhere are complicated.
Of course, you can go on your own private safari, together with your driver/guide. In fact, most of our safaris are privately organized. The price however depends on the number of people on safari.
This depends on the kind of trekking you have booked if it’s private trekking you will not be joined with other guests, but if you opt for group joining, yes you will have other guests joining. We normally do not mix groups.
You will start your climb with mineral water on the first day. Further up the mountain, water will be boiled, filtered, and purified for you, these help to keep the mountain away from liters.
In case one person gets sick and has to stay behind or even return, he or she will be accompanied by one of the assistant guides. The leading guide continues with the others.
Yes, payment can be done on a credit card (Visa – MasterCard – American Express). With credit card payments, there is a 5% surcharge. The best is still to bring cash USD. You’ll get the best exchange rates for 50 and 100 USD notes. Also make sure not to bring USD notes less than 2006, as these are not accepted anymore in Tanzania.
There are several daily flights from Arusha or Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar, which can be booked either by you or we can book for you. It is also possible to fly directly from Serengeti to Zanzibar, with either a scheduled flight or a charter plane.